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CNN Live Today

Supreme Decision; London Terror; Dennis: The Aftermath; U.S. Afghan Mission

Aired July 12, 2005 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a living. Are you kidding, that's what anchors do, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) people do looking online, going on the Internet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But also just starring.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Just generally starring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just generally starring.

MILES O'BRIEN: Depends who you're sitting next to.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: But we will take this opportunity to stair and head down to Atlanta for the rest of our coverage . . .

MILES O'BRIEN: We should. We don't want to waste any more of her time.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Right. Right. Good to see you both.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Hey, Tony. Good morning.

HARRIS: Have a great day. We're going to waste a couple of hours here. That's what we do, Miles. Good to see you all.

Here is what's happening "Now in the News."

British anti-terror police are following up on last week's London bombings. Police searched five residents in West Yorkshire today. That's bout 200 miles north of London. No details have been released about the search. The latest official death toll from Thursday's attack is 52.

Four small bombs exploded today near a power plant in the Basque region of Northern Spain. Workers at the plant were evacuated and no one was hurt. The separatist group ETA placed a warning call before the blasts.

Another bomb threat, this one in Poland, causes the evacuation of the Warsaw Subway. Officials say an anonymous caller claimed to have placed an explosive device in the system. Some 12 stations were shut down while bomb squads and police searched the lines.

The Senate leaders had a White House meeting with President Bush this morning. The president asked for their ideas about the Supreme Court vacancy. Mr. Bush says he wants a replacement for Retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the bench by October.

And at the Kennedy Space Center, it is one day before the space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven are set to blast off. These are pictures from a briefing that is going on right now on the status of the launch. The launch will be the first manned spaceflight for NASA since the Columbia disaster in 2003. NASA says there have been no major technical snags.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY. I am Tony Harris. Daryn Kagan is off today.

The Supreme Court vacancy topped the menu as President Bush had four senior senators over for breakfast this morning. CNN's Bob Franken was outside the White House when the meeting broke up and he joins us from there now to tell us what was said.

Good morning, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Well, the Democrats have said they want to be consulted and, by golly, they're being consulted. You had the Senate Democratic leader, along with the Republican majority leader of the Senate. We're joining the Democrat and Republican ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

They had breakfast with the president, came out, told reporters that they provided some names, suggestions, to President Bush to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. The president did not respond with any names. The Democrats were really quite optimistic, saying that this was a very good session. The president has consulted quite well. Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, saying, we will - somebody he's comfortable who will be "a consensus candidate."

However, on the Senate floor just a few minutes ago, William Frist, who is the Republican leader, made a point to say that "consultation does not mean co-nomination." In other words, it's up to the president to decide and then let the controversy begin. Well, the members had some suggestions, too. Suggesting that perhaps it's time for this process to spread out as opposed to the various special interests groups getting so involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, (r)) CHMN., JUDICIARY CMTE.: I think that the word ought to go out that the special interest groups vastly overstate their influence, that what they are doing is counterproductive and a lot of times insulting.

SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MINORITY LEADER: Yes, I feel comfortable and good that we're going to be able to have someone that is a consensus candidate. We certainly hope so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: The one thing that the senators told us about the meeting, Tony, that is they advised the president he might want to go outside the court system to come up with somebody from the political system, much like Sandra Day O'Connor was. Somebody in the words of Senator Patrick Leahy was not from the "judicial monastery."

Tony.

HARRIS: So, Bobbie, we've had this consultation meeting. Any sense of a timetable for this pick?

FRANKEN: No. As a matter of fact, the White House is on purpose not coming up with a timetable. Remember, there's one other complication, and that is speculation that the chief justice might also resign. In any case, the senators say that they would have plenty of time, at least enough time, to come up with confirmations after hearings in time for the Supreme Court to begin on that first Monday in October.

HARRIS: At the White House, Bob Franken for us.

Bob, thank you.

And turning now to the status of the investigation in the London terror attacks. British anti-terror police are searching five homes in connection with the bombings. They are about 200 miles north of London. It is not clear what connection, if any, there is between the people living in those homes and the bombings. Meanwhile, there are newspaper reports that British investigators suspect high grade military quality explosives where used in the attacks. And currently police are looking over 2,500 security camera tapes.

For more on the investigation, CNN's Paula Hancocks has the latest from London.

Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony.

Well I'll get to the investigation in just a moment. But just to let you know that thousands of people have been filing through here to lay flowers recently in the past five minutes. Also, we've had the Palestinian delegation, headed by Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, coming to put flowers down and give his condolences to those who have lost their lives. And also we have the Israeli delegation here as well. They will be putting flowers down in just a moment.

Saeb Erekat gave a couple of words just after he laid his wreath, saying that he absolutely condemned these attack. He said, these attacks could not be claimed in the name of Islam. It was nothing to do with religion. He said, whether Judaism, whether Islam or whether Christianity, it could not be called in the name of religion. Now on to the investigation itself. We are getting some fresh details from leads about 200 miles north from here. We heard earlier on this morning there had been a raid on five different premises. We didn't know if there were any arrests at the moment. The police were saying there weren't arrests.

But just in the last couple of hours we are also hearing that there has been a controlled explosion in one area of leads. We're hearing that up to 500 - 600 people were evacuated from businesses and also from homes in that area before the explosion took place so that the police could gain access to a particular building. They won't tell us exactly which building but they say, when they did search it, they didn't find anyone else in there.

So the investigation is ongoing. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair is actually saying that this is directly linked to Thursday morning's bombings in which 52 people died at least and 700 more were injured. So today we really are seeing the first significance police action.

HARRIS: OK, Paula Hancocks for us in London.

Paula, we appreciate it. Thank you.

The State Department says one American is missing and presumed dead from the attacks in London. No name was released. Meanwhile, doctors have a positive prognosis for the two Tennessee sisters hurt in the bombings. Both Emily and Katie Benton are in stable condition at a North Carolina hospital following reconstructive surgery to their feet. Doctors say the sisters were about 10 feet away from the subway bomb that injured them. The two college students were on vacation in London.

Do the attacks in London mean the same thing is likely to happen here in the next few weeks? Many Americans seem to think so. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll asks, do you believe an act of terror is imminent? Fifty-five percent of respondents said yes. That's up from 35 percent who said yes before last week's bombing in London.

Florida Panhandle residents are resuming their recovery from Hurricane Dennis. But the downgraded storm has moved on. It is still packing plenty of rain. Forecasters say the remnants of Dennis are threatening the lower Ohio Valley with possible floods. More than a quarter million people are still without power in three states. Most of the power outages are in Florida. Five deaths are blamed on Dennis, four in Florida and one in Georgia.

And one Florida family's dream house withstood the pounding of Hurricane Ivan last September. But the family's dreams have changed since Hurricane Dennis hit. CNN's Kimberly Osias reports on this week's homecoming which has turned into a new beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAN MOLL, STORM EVACUEE: My shingles are on.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Going home isn't always easy.

TANNER MOLL, STORM EVACUEE: I mostly feel upset because some people had just started remodeling and they've - their stuff's gotten blown away.

OSIAS: Eleven-year-old Tanner Moll always wanted to live on the water, so did his whole family. They bought their deem home on Sanvia Bay (ph) on Father's Day 2003. Everything fell into place. They even saw signs that it was meant to be.

JAN MOLL: And the street address is 4709. Jeff was 47, Tanner was 9 and I was 40.

OSIAS: This is how the Moll's home looked back then, antique floors, a 250-year-old stain glass window, French doors that Charleton Heston and John Wayne even walked through. This is how it looked after Ivan. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Repairs weren't even completed before this year's hurricane season was on the horizon.

JAN MOLL: Yes, I just said bye to all this stuff. I never thought I'd see it again. We really thought it would be lifted off the pylons (ph). Truly thought it would be gone.

OSIAS: But Hurricane Dennis was less brutal than Ivan.

TANNER MOLL: Ivan ripped everything apart in its path. And in Dennis, it sort of only raised the water a little bit but Dennis' wins were more powerful.

OSIAS: Packing up once is enough for a lifetime, much less again and again.

JAN MOLL: And we just got the belongings that mattered, which was stuff the family had passed down to us. Pictures that are absolutely irreplaceable.

OSIAS: The process takes a toll, even on the extended animal family.

TANNER MOLL: Like Shadow, I couldn't get him to go on a walk with me because that dog was freaked out.

OSIAS: Along with Shadow, Tanner packed up his mouse, birds, ferrets, cat, and Ivan the iguana. The entire brood sought shelter.

TANNER MOLL: Everything was basically fighting against each other.

OSIAS: But that was yesterday. Today brings clear skies, calm waters and hope.

JAN MOLL: I've been blessed. And once again, I've been blessed.

OSIAS: But the Molls have had enough storm troubles. They're not even unpacking the U-Haul. They plan to put a sign in the front yard and move to Orlando to start again.

TANNER MOLL: But I'll feel better about leaving for the fact that of all we've had to go through, it's just been a pain.

OSIAS: Kimberly Osias, CNN, Milton, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right. Let's take you to the White House right now where President Bush is wrapping up a meeting with Singapore's new prime minister.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He obviously worries about the lives of the citizens in his country, the daily lives, and what's taking place. But he's also got the capacity to see beyond the horizon.

And I want to thank you for sharing your insights. I appreciate so very much your advice and I look forward to working with you.

We're going to sign a very important document here cementing our good relationship. And finally the prime minister and I share a clear vision about the world in which we live when it comes to terror. These terrorists will kill on a moment's notice. They don't care who you are. They want to shake our will. They want to drive America from the world. They want the free world to retreat. They've got ideological ambitions. And it's going to require a steadfast response. And the prime minister understands that.

And I appreciate your strength of character and your clear vision about the dangers we face. Welcome. And I'm glad you're here, sir.

LEE HSIEN LOONG, PRIME MINISTER, SINGAPORE: Thank you, Mr. President.

Well, I'm very happy to be here to meet the president in the Oval Office. Singapore and America share many common interests and many similar perspectives on the world around us, particularly in Asia. And I've been happy to have a wide exchange of views with president on how Southeast Asia is develop, what's happening in Asia, how China and India are opening up and becoming influential in the region and playing - exerting a positive influence on many of the countries and how America can be part of (INAUDIBLE) and engaged, participating and continuing to stabilize and to maintain the security in the region, as it has done for many years.

One aspect of security, of course, is anti-terror. And I told the president how much we appreciated America's strong, consistent stand on this that notwithstanding any - whatever the terrorists may throw at America, that we'll stay firm and their absolute confidence, that it will not waive, whether in Iraq or anywhere else in the world. It's critical to us because, for us, anti-terror is also a hot agenda item. So it's one of the areas of mutual interest which has led our two countries to embark on a strategic framework agreement which will set out the basis for us to broaden and deepen the cooperation which we already have had over these many years. And I'm very happy that today we'll have the chance to sign that agreement.

BUSH: Thank you, sir.

We'll answer a question a piece.

Deb (ph).

QUESTION: Mr. President, you had a meeting this morning with four of the senators. How much more input do you need before you'll be able to make a decision on a replacement? How close are you?

BUSH: Closer today than I was yesterday.

I did have a good breakfast with four United States senators. The leaders of the Senate, plus the heads of the Judiciary Committee. I asked their advice on a couple of matters. One, I asked their advice on the timing of a nominee. In other words, how fast could they get to the hearings necessary for a nominee name to move forward.

Obviously we're in a very interesting period here where you've got the end of the session coming up and you've got an August break. And so I was just trying to get a sense of their view of the calendar. And I want to thank them for being forthright. Obviously they get to decide. They're the legislative branch. They get to determine how fast to move a nominee's name or not. My only question to them is, what will it take to be able to get a person confirmed by early October.

Secondly, we talked in general about a potential nominee. They've got strong opinions and I wanted to hear them. And they have shared some opinions with me and, of course, they're sharing - many senators are sharing their opinions with others on my staff. We're actively seeking recommendations.

I am going to be deliberate in the process because I want the American people to know that when I finally make a decision, it's going to be one based upon a lot of research and a lot of thought about the character of the person, the integrity of the person, the ability of the person to do the job and the philosophy of the person. And, as you know, I campaigned twice for president of the United States and I said, if I have a chance to name somebody to the Supreme Court or courts in general, I'll pick people who will use the bench - will interpret the Constitution while on the bench, but not use the bench to legislate. We've got a legislative body called the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. They do the legislation. And the courts will then interpret the Constitution as to whether or not the laws are constitutional or not. And so that's where we are in the process. It's a . . .

QUESTION: Do you agree with your wife about (INAUDIBLE)?

BUSH: My wife will - listen, I talked to her yesterday. She's in Africa on a mission of goodwill. She's talking about women's education and HIV/Aids. And, listen, I get her advice all the time. I didn't realize she'd put this advice in the press, actually (ph). She did. Well, good. I'm definitely considering - we're definitely considering people from all walks of life. And I can't wait to hear her advice in person when she gets back.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

LOONG: Well, from our perspective, it builds on a very sound relationship and broadens and deepens it further. About enables us focus more on anti-terrorism, on anti-WMD proliferation, as well as other aspects of our relationship, defense technology, cooperation, military cooperation between our armed forces, and strategic and security exchanges.

BUSH: From our perspective, it is a statement about how important our relations with Singapore is. We made a statement before on economic relations when we signed a free trade agreement. And that was an important agreement.

It's important for our economy, it's important for the economy of Singapore. This agreement takes our relationship beyond just economics. It's a strategic relationship. It is one that will have long-term consequences. For both our people. But I happen to believe that it will have long-term consequences for peace in the region. And that's very important.

This is a relationship based upon mutual trust, shared values, but it's also a relationship that recognizes that we have a active role to play. Both countries have an active role to play in laying the foundations for peace in the region of the world that - in the far east. And it's an important region.

One of the points that the prime minister has made to me, and he keeps reminding me that our involvement in the far east is very important. And we will stay involved in a constructive way. And this agreement is a constructive agreement. It's a constructive way to stay involved.

Thank you all for coming.

LOONG: Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: Good job.

HARRIS: And there you have the president wrapping up his meeting with the new prime minister of Singapore, Prime Minister Loong, at the White House. The first trip by the new prime minister to Washington since he was installed in August.

The president taking questions about his process that he's working through now to come up with a name, a nominee, to the Supreme Court. And also the breakfast meeting with the Senate leaders as he tries to work out a timetable with those Senate leaders as to when they can move the process along. You'll recall that there is a recess at the end of the month and then a break in August and the president consulting with the leadership to get a sense of the timetable as to how quickly hearings could proceed on a nominee and how long it would take to move that process along. Also at the very end there, we were really listening to find out if the president would respond to any questions about the news of late, that reporters that Karl Rove, the president's most trusted adviser politically, may very well be the person in the White House who leaked the name of the CIA operative to reporters. You'll recall that yesterday, during the White House press briefing, White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan was really grilled on that question of Karl Rove being the leaker. You saw the president not really answering the questions at that time. We will, of course, continue to follow that story throughout the course of the day here on CNN.

Heavy rain and high winds aren't enough to ground the space shuttle Discovery. In fact, the countdown is still on. We'll take you live to the launchpad when CNN LIVE TODAY rolls on.

Plus, she was used as a human shield during a gun battle with police. Now officials react to the tragic death of a 19-month-old baby.

But first, more violence in Afghanistan and more U.S. troops are on the way. What's the United States' long-term plan for the region? We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Navy SEAL Matthew Axelson in is being remembered today for serving to the country. His body was identified Monday after being recovered from a dangerous corner of Afghanistan. Axelson was part of a team of Navy SEALs that went missing two weeks ago. A senior defense official said he died in a shootout with enemy forces. Only one member of his four-man team survived. One of Axelson's neighbors in Colbertino (ph), California, says the family has some closure now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY GARLAND, NEIGHBOR: There is some degree of relief that he was found, that he hadn't been captured and he was doing what he wanted to do with whom he wanted to do it, the Navy SEALs. So there's some comfort in that, amidst the tears of missing a very admirable young man. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A surge in fighting in Afghanistan has prompted the U.S. military to increase troop level there's. CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with the story.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

Well, the plan to increase troop levels in Afghanistan have been on the table, but now it is taking on a new urgency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) STARR, (voice over): Just as the U.S. was finalizing plans to cut troop levels in Afghanistan, violence has increased and suddenly more U.S. combat troops are now on the way. This raises questions about long-term plans to have NATO take command of all military operations. This week, 700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division were ordered to Afghanistan. Even more violence is expected prior to the September elections.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The enemy is coming as hard as they can. They have issued orders to everybody that they can get their hands on to try to disrupt this election.

STARR: The U.S. already has 17,000 troops in Afghanistan, mainly along the Pakistani border where fighting has been underway for weeks. NATO is also sending another 2,000 troops this month, in addition to 8,000 NATO peacekeepers on station, mainly in the north and west.

This increase in troops was being considered even before the shoot down of a U.S. helicopter, killing 16 special forces on board. And the killing of three Navy SEALs in a related firefight. One Navy SEAL was rescued after Afghan villagers took him in. The Afghans smuggled out a note from the SEAL telling U.S. troops where he could be found.

But there are questions about the long-term plan for all operations to be under a NATO commander by next year and the U.S. plan to cut its troop levels by more than one-third. Can it all really work? Under the plan, in the eastern sector, along the Pakistan border, U.S. troops would still lead combat missions but under a NATO flag. In the south, Canadian forces are to take over. Germany will have a lead role in the north. Spain and Italy are in the west. Even with a NATO commander, the U.S. will continue to provide key military expertise.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. MILITARY ANALYST (RET.): The one thing that's irreplaceable ritlarge (ph) is the intelligence capability that the United States provides. They also provide a great special operations capability.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Tony, since no one really expects the violence to end any time soon in Afghanistan, the question about whether U.S. troop levels can really be cut still very much remains an open question.

Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Barbara Star.

Barbara, thank you.

And still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, hundreds of reports of possible child abuse go unnoticed for weeks. And you won't believe what was to blame. Plus, Karl Rove. He's one of the president's closest advisers. Did he break the law and leak the name of a covert CIA operative? We're taking a closer look just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, the latest in the investigation of the London subway and bus bombings. British anti-terror police searched five homes in Northern England looking for suspects. No word yet on whether they found anything that links anyone to the attacks and no arrests have been made either. The latest official death toll from Thursday's attacks is 52.

In Lebanon, the outgoing deputy prime minister is recovering after a powerful car bombing in Northern Beirut that also killed two others. Elias Murr, who's said to be staunchly pro-Syrian, is also the son-in-law of Lebanon's president. Official says Murr suffered wounds to his hands and knees but they are not life threatening.

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